Israel Strikes Gaza Again After Militants Launch More Incendiary Balloons
Israeli air strikes targeted sites in Gaza for the second time since Wednesday after Palestinian militants sent incendiary balloons into Israel for the third consecutive day. No casualties were immediately reported (New York Times)
Israel Launches Air Strikes Into Gaza
Israel launched air strikes on Gaza in response to incendiary balloons that Palestinian militant groups flew over Israel. They were the first such strikes since a truce that ended an eleven-day conflict last month. No casualties were immediately reported. The groups floated the balloons in response to a right-wing march in Jerusalem during which thirty-three Palestinian protesters were injured (CNN)
Israel’s Netanyahu Out as New Coalition Government Sworn In
By a vote of 60 to 59, Israel’s legislature approved an ideologically diverse coalition government that sidelines former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The new government was sworn in on Sunday night, with right-wing Naftali Bennett set to lead as prime minister for two years, followed by centrist Yair Lapid for another two (Haaretz)
Right-Wing March Through Jerusalem Canceled
The organizers of a march through Jerusalem set for Thursday canceled the event after Israeli police told them they would not be allowed to pass through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. The march, in which right-wing Jewish groups would have celebrated the 1967 reunification of Jerusalem, was originally scheduled for last month but was postponed due to increased Israeli-Palestinian tensions (Haaretz)
New Israeli Coalition Threatens to Oust Netanyahu
Ideologically diverse leaders of Israel’s opposition reached a deal to form a government that could unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after twelve years in power. The new coalition, which still needs parliamentary approval, would have far-right nationalist Naftali Bennett serve as prime minister for two years before secular centrist Yair Lapid takes over (Financial Times)
It would also include an independent party of Palestinian citizens of Israel, the United Arab List, for the first time in history, though no Palestinians would hold cabinet seats (New York Times)
Israeli Politicians Move Toward Deal to Sideline Netanyahu
Ultranationalist Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid are in talks to create an ideologically mixed coalition government that removes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power. The deadline to form a coalition is tomorrow (New York Times)
UN Launches Permanent Commission on Israel, Palestinian Territories
The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution establishing a permanent commission of inquiry to monitor rights violations in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. It is the first such commission with a continuous mandate (Associated Press)
Blinken Begins Mideast Tour to Bolster Gaza Truce
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a series of visits in the Middle East that aim to shore up a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that has been in effect since Friday. The truce ended eleven days of fighting that left more than 250 people dead (Associated Press)
In Jerusalem, Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned that Hamas would face a “very powerful” response if it breaks the cease-fire. Blinken said Israelis and Palestinians “equally deserve to live safely and securely” and pledged to rally support for humanitarian aid to Gaza that does not benefit Hamas. He will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah today and will go on to visit Egypt and Jordan (Reuters)
Israel and Hamas Agree to Cease-Fire
Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire, mediated by Egypt, which went into effect yesterday after nearly two weeks of violence and over two hundred killed. No cease-fire violations have been reported as of this morning (New York Times)
Fighting in Gaza Continues Amid Reports of Possible Cease-Fire
Despite reports of a possible cease-fire, Israel continued to strike targets in Gaza, while Palestinian militant groups there maintained a rocket barrage of southern Israel (Haaretz)
Hamas leaders said yesterday that a cease-fire could be “imminent,” and U.S. and foreign officials said that one could come as early as tomorrow (CNN, Wall Street Journal)
Separately, the Philippines government said it will temporarily prevent citizens from working in Israel due to the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza. The Philippines is one of the largest sources of migrant labor in Israel. Recent rocket strikes by the Palestinian group Hamas have killed several migrant workers (New York Times)
Palestinians Strike in Israel, Territories
In a display of solidarity, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank went on strike yesterday to protest Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, the evictions of families in East Jerusalem, and violence against Palestinian citizens of Israel (New York Times)
Violence continued yesterday, with Israeli air strikes across Gaza and rockets fired into Israel, and efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza are ongoing (CNN)
Biden Offers Muted Support for Cease-Fire in Gaza
President Biden for the first time signaled support for a cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza but did not call for an immediate end to the violence. Many Democratic lawmakers have demanded an immediate cease-fire, and international pressure for one is growing (New York Times)
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Gaza Enters Second Week
The Israeli military continued to strike Gaza today as the worst conflict with Palestinian militant groups there since 2014 entered its second week (New York Times)
Nearly two hundred people in Gaza have been killed, according to the territory’s health ministry, while ten people in Israel have been killed (Haaretz)
On Saturday, Israeli forces drew condemnation from press-freedom groups for destroying a building that housed the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and other media outlets (Associated Press)
Diplomatic efforts toward a cease-fire have yielded little so far, and the United States continues to block a statement by the UN Security Council, which met yesterday (Associated Press)
Meanwhile, China offered to host Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and criticized what it called U.S. “obstruction” (South China Morning Post)
Israel Considers Gaza Ground Invasion, UN Security Council to Meet Sunday
Israel’s military continues to carry out air and ground strikes in Gaza in retaliation for rocket attacks by Hamas and other militant groups, and the country is considering mounting a ground invasion. At least 119 Gazans, including 31 children and 19 women, have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. At least eight people in Israel have been killed, including one child and one woman. The UN Security Council is slated to discuss the situation on Sunday, after the United States objected to meeting today (Associated Press)
Biden Dispatches Envoy as Israeli-Palestinian Fighting Continues
The U.S. deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, Hady Amr, will meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials today in an effort to end the fighting in Gaza (Times of Israel)
At least eighty-three people in Gaza and seven in Israel have been killed in the recent violence, the worst since 2014 (Haaretz)
Death Toll Rises in Worst Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Years
Dozens of people have been killed, including women and children, in the worst fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza since 2014 (Associated Press)
At least forty-eight Palestinians and six Israelis have been killed and dozens more injured as rocket attacks by Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, and Islamic Jihad are met with Israeli air strikes (Haaretz)
The violence has been accompanied by widespread unrest within Israel as Palestinians protest the Gaza killings and other grievances, including police brutality and the pending evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem by Israeli settlers (Washington Post)
The Joe Biden administration urged de-escalation, but said it supports Israel’s right to defend itself and denounced the Palestinian groups’ rocket attacks. The UN Security Council is planning to hold a second emergency meeting on the situation today, but it has not issued a statement due to U.S. concerns, according to reports (Wall Street Journal)
Israel Retaliates Against Rocket Attacks From Gaza
Weeks of tensions in Jerusalem sharply escalated yesterday as Israel carried out air strikes in Gaza in retaliation for dozens of rocket attacks by Hamas and other armed groups (Haaretz)
Twenty-four Palestinians, including nine children, were killed in the Israeli strikes, Gaza health officials said. The Israeli military said fifteen Palestinian militants were killed and that at least two hundred rockets had been fired into Israel (Associated Press)
The rocket attacks and air strikes followed violent confrontations at East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque, where hundreds of Palestinians and more than twenty Israeli police officers were injured (New York Times)
Tensions in Jerusalem have been rising over a pending court decision that could result in the eviction of several Arab families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood (Washington Post)
Hundreds of Palestinians Injured in East Jerusalem Clashes
Hundreds of Palestinian protesters and nearly two dozen Israeli police officers were wounded in violent clashes near al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem this morning (Haaretz)
Tensions are expected to escalate later today due to a planned march by far-right Israelis marking the anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, during which Israel captured East Jerusalem (New York Times)
Israeli Troops Kill Two Palestinians Following Attack
Two Palestinians were killed and one was wounded after a reported attack on an Israeli military base in the West Bank. According to Israeli police, the three Palestinians opened fire on the military base’s main gate (Al Jazeera)
Yair Lapid Given Mandate to Form Israeli Government
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin gave Yair Lapid, the leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, twenty-eight days to form a governing coalition. Lapid has said he is prepared to allow Naftali Bennett, who leads the right-wing Yamina party, to serve as prime minister first as part of a unity government (Times of Israel)
Israel’s Political Turmoil Continues as Netanyahu Fails to Form Coalition
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government before his mandate to do so expired yesterday, prolonging an unprecedented period of political gridlock and potentially ending his tenure as Israel’s longest-serving leader (Haaretz)
Israeli, Palestinians Clash After Suspected Drive-By Shooting
Three Israeli teenagers were wounded, one critically, in a suspected drive-by shooting in the West Bank (Haaretz)
A group of Israelis allegedly attacked a Palestinian village as revenge for the earlier incident (Al Jazeera)
Abbas Postpones Palestinian Elections
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas postponed parliamentary elections scheduled for next month due to a dispute over voting in Israel-controlled East Jerusalem and tensions within his Fatah party. The delay of the elections sparked protests and is opposed by Hamas (Al Jazeera)
Hamas Opposes Delaying Palestinian Elections
Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, rejected any delay of Palestinian elections ahead of a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. Abbas is expected to push for a delay partly because divisions within his party could tip the vote in favor of Hamas (Associated Press)
Palestinian Elections Likely to Be Delayed
Palestinian authorities appear likely to postpone elections scheduled for May and July, the first elections in fifteen years, due to a dispute over voting in Israel-occupied East Jerusalem and a rift within Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. Israel has not said whether it will allow voting in Jerusalem (Reuters)